Engineering Prospects

By: Kevin Chung

Photo Credit: asme.org

              As the job market is recovering from the recession from 2008, manufacturing is rising, and the economy is finally stable with salaries on the rise, especially for engineers. A survey conducted in 2012 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) found the salaries had increased. Over 12000 engineers responded to the survey between April 1, 2011 and March 21, 2012, and found the average total annual income, including commissions and fees, increased nearly 4%.

        According to the survey, engineers who saw their wages increase constantly were the ones with more experience. Not only that, but engineers with better education led to better compensations. For those that had a doctoral degree, had an income of $116000, while those with a M.S. in engineering earned a median of $95576. Finally, those with a B.S. had a median of $85900. Also, looking at licensing-certification status, those who had a licensed profession had higher salaries ($116000), as compared to those who weren’t in a licensed profession ($95000). But with all these improvements, the gender gap is still widening in engineering. The median income for female engineers is $76984, with male engineers making a substantial more of $96000.

              Lastly, there’s been an increase in demand for engineers. One big reason for this recent trend is that the engineers from the Baby Boomer generation is retiring. So, companies are looking for college graduates to fill those vacancies. According to a recent survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in 2012, employers say they plan to hire 9.5 percent more graduates from the class of 2012, than form the class of 2011. So, with salaries increasing and jobs open for engineers, the future for students with engineering degrees is looking rich.

Source

Sethi, Chitra. "Engineering Salaries on the Rise." Engineering Salaries on the Rise. N.p., July 2012. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.